White Fang
Part 3, Chapter 3
Summary & Analysis

LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in White Fang, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.

The Struggle for Survival

Domestic Yearnings v. Natural Instinct

Nature v. Nurture

Mastery

Domestication

Mating and Parenthood

Summary

Analysis

Lip-lip's terror over White Fang worsens, as he goads the other dogs into bullying White Fang. Lip-lip's persecution causes White Fang to become an outcast and his savageness increases. He learns to fight ruthlessly, attacking lone puppies, without warning.

White Fang becomes a fierce and savage fighting dog because the circumstances of his environment force him to be that way. Lip-lip's bullying accentuates White Fang's fierceness and cruelty.

Active
Themes

The entire camp turns on White Fang, except Gray Beaver. But White Fang does not care, because he has learned to obey strong creatures, like Gray Beaver, and oppress weak creatures, like the Indian puppies.

Under Gray Beaver's care, White Fang learns to follow a natural code of mastery: "oppress the weak and obey the strong."